Parental health

It is important to capture indicators of parental health, as parental ill-health has

implications for the health and wellbeing of children, particularly if it compromises the

ability of the parent to care for their child. This is particularly true in terms of long-

term health conditions and disabilities; they have the potential to disrupt aspects of

parenting (e.g. support, reinforcement, discipline) by reducing capacity to provide

care, or indirectly through the emotional distress of parents (e.g. depression;

Armistead et al., 1995). Each parent should report on their own health as part of the

main interview, with an option to indicate an answer privately13 to facilitate

discretion if others are present.

Recommendations for Cohort 24 at 3 years:

•Include items on each parent’s current general health, with more detailed questions regarding any long-term illnesses, conditions or disabilities, including the extent to which they limit one’s day-to-day life. These could be repeated from Cohort 08 at 3.

Parents’ physical measurements